The Slave Is Too Handsome - Chapter 6

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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What a gorgeous slave!
006.
“What? You’re asking if I’m leaving you?”
Eloize, who didn’t care a whit about blood, shook the leather pouch in front of him.
Ah. Lucian let out an exclamation and thrust his hand into his trouser pocket, but of course found nothing.
He did nothing but glare at Eloize.
“Don’t go. I need you.”
Eloize returned the leather pouch to Lucian as she spoke. Lucian, who had taken it almost without thinking, asked.
“Why?”
Lucian was genuinely curious now. Setting aside the troublemaker—or rather, the time bomb that was the young duke—why would a noblewoman who lacked nothing need a slave like him?
“That’s…”
Eloize, her expression oddly serious, took her time.
“I’ll tell you when the sun rises tomorrow morning.”
“What?”
Eloize smiled faintly.
Ha. Lucian sneered. The noblewoman before him had a remarkable talent for toying with people’s hearts.
Meanwhile, Eloize added something in a drowsy voice as she yawned.
“So go back to your quarters quickly. Before Arthur wakes up. You do know who Arthur is, don’t you? Our butler.”
The image of that grandfather fussing at him the entire meal came to Lucian’s mind.
“Our butler adores me terribly, you see. So if he sees you leaving my room, he’ll try to kill you.”
“Are you threatening me now?”
“It’s advice. Let’s talk when we’ve both slept and have clearer minds.”
Having said all she needed to say, Eloize walked toward her bed.
Whether persuaded by Eloize’s words or not, Lucian silently gathered the leather pouch and walked toward the door. Then, casting one last glance at Eloize, he quietly closed the door behind him.
The sun seemed about to rise, but in any case, Eloize felt she could sleep soundly.
‘Why do I need you? Because I have to make you emperor.’
Even with her eyes closed, the image of Lucian standing before her lingered in her mind. A smile played at her lips.
‘But first, I’ll have to test whether you have the makings for it.’
The next morning, Mary entered Eloize’s Bedroom at her usual time. It was the time when Eloize normally would have been awake.
“…Miss?”
To her surprise, Eloize was still in bed.
Mary, hands on her hips, walked toward Eloize. Today was Wednesday—the day the House of La Croix family dined together.
‘Has she come down with something to avoid eating with them?’
Mary’s expression softened as she approached. Eloize was sleeping with remarkable peace on her face.
She seemed to be having a pleasant dream, even smiling gently. The same smile bloomed on Mary’s face.
The young mistress rarely slept deeply. Her temperament was naturally sensitive, and family troubles gave her constant headaches.
Perhaps I should let her sleep a while longer. But the moment that thought crossed Mary’s mind, Eloize slowly opened her eyes.
“…Mary?”
“Good morning, Miss.”
“Wednesday’s here, then.”
Eloize rose from bed, stretching as she settled herself before the vanity. Just as Mary approached to brush her hair, she let out a small gasp.
“Miss, what happened to you last night?”
There was a small abrasion on Eloize’s alabaster face.
Casting a quick glance around the room, Mary’s eyes caught fragments of a broken vase scattered here and there.
“Oh, it’s nothing.”
Eloize’s casual answer only stoked Mary’s indignation.
“Nothing? Nothing, you say! How dare someone mark our young mistress’s face! Was there trouble at yesterday’s ball? It was Miss Rose, wasn’t it?”
In place of an answer, Eloize laughed softly. There was something endearing about Mary—who despite her youthful appearance tried to play the stern adult—and she’d gotten the culprit entirely wrong, which was even more amusing.
“Don’t worry. I was already planning to punish the one who marked my face anyway.”
Eloize’s eyes gleamed with lethal intent in the mirror. Mary flinched at the sight.
Really, my young mistress could be terrifying when she looked like that. Mary quickly shifted her attitude and silently offered a prayer for the person who had marked Eloize’s cheek.
“Good morning.”
Eloize, dressed tidily, greeted them with a radiant smile.
At one end of the long dining table sat her father, the Duke of La Croix, and beside him sat her stepmother, the Duchess of La Croix.
“Good morning to you.”
The Duke returned the greeting. At that moment, the seat across from the Duchess was empty. Its occupant, George, must not have arrived yet.
‘Whether he’s late or skipping breakfast this morning, I couldn’t say.’
Ordinarily, Eloize would sit at the opposite end of the table from the Duke, far removed from all three of them. But today was different.
“!?”
Eloize sat in George’s usual seat. This position would allow her to naturally display the abrasion to her father.
“I thought I’d like to dine closer to you both this morning, if that’s all right?”
“Of course. It’s good to see your face like this.”
The Duchess answered with an awkward smile. Servants began bringing out the food in succession.
“Eloize, what happened to that wound on your cheek?”
The Duke asked. The Duchess’s gaze naturally followed to Eloize’s cheek, where a vivid abrasion was visible on her delicate face.
Both their expressions darkened at the sight of such a mark on a noblewoman. This was precisely what Eloize had intended.
Yet contrary to her intent, Eloize lowered her head demurely, as if embarrassed and reluctant to answer.
But the Duchess understood at once who had done it. It could only be her foolish son’s doing. And he’d disappeared without a trace, guilty as he was.
“It was… my brother made a mistake last night while drinking. I’m sorry.”
The Duchess’s suspicion hit the mark exactly.
“George? But why would he—?”
The Duke, shocked, pressed further. His hand, gripping the knife, trembled slightly.
“It seems something unpleasant happened at Miller Count’s Ball last night. I’m grateful it ended with just a scratch, though. He threatened me after breaking a vase.”
“!!!”
The Duke’s face flushed red, then purple.
“He’s usually a good brother, but don’t you think he should perhaps refrain from drinking so much, Father?”
“…”
“Fortunately he vented his anger on me, but if word got out that the heir of La Croix is violent, then…”
Eloize trailed off with a shake of her head, as if she couldn’t bear to think of it further.
The Duchess, suppressing her own rage, couldn’t tell if the food was going into her mouth or her nose.
‘If only that fool would keep quiet and behave, he’d be loved. But he causes trouble every single day. I won’t live out my natural lifespan at this rate.’
In the Duchess’s view, her son fell short of Eloize in every way.
All she could rely on was the Duke’s favor toward her and his pity toward George.
The Duchess threw a pointed look at Eloize. If only the Duke weren’t there, she would have put this insolent stepdaughter in her place once and for all.
For now, she would retreat. The day would come when she could settle accounts. The Duchess, struggling to master her emotions, forced herself to speak.
“I shall talk to George myself.”
“Please don’t. He must be reflecting on his actions already.”
Yet Eloize was smiling as she spoke. The Duke’s grave voice followed.
“Mere words are insufficient. George is forbidden from leaving the house for some time.”
“…Husband.”
The Duchess looked at the Duke, but he was unmoved.
“How can he lay hands on his own sister? Does this make any sense?”
“I understand, but it was all because of drink…”
“Drink is an excuse. If we brush this aside with ‘it was the drink,’ the boy will never mend his ways.”
The Duke’s voice grew louder with each word. The more he spoke, the more his son’s actions appalled him.
“With such a mindset, I wonder how he manages the family’s affairs at all. Jeffrey!”
In the end, the Duke summoned Jeffrey, the butler of the Main Residence.
Heh heh. Watching the Duchess’s face darken, Eloize cut a small portion of the well-smoked herring and placed it in her mouth. The cuisine here in the Main Residence was just as excellent as in the Separate Annex.
“Bring the ledgers of the lands George manages to my study!”
“Yes, understood, sir.”
Jeffrey bowed respectfully. The Duke, his appetite gone, rose from his seat. The Duchess rose as well. The food before both of them remained untouched.
“Your father has duties to attend to. Eat at your leisure.”
“Yes, Father.”
Watching the couple depart, Eloize smiled. The abrasion was actually quite small. Instead, she had asked Mary to apply makeup that would accentuate it.
Eloize had hoped for measures such as house confinement or a ban from the Separate Annex, but now it appeared George would face an unexpected ledger inspection.
Well, because he was so dim-witted, the Duke and Eloize handled most of the territorial and financial affairs, while George was entrusted only with the small portion anyone with a brain could manage.
‘And even those ledgers are probably a mess.’
Eloize, delighted at the thought of another territory soon coming into her hands, wiped her mouth with her napkin.
‘I should reward Mary for this.’
Having savored a leisurely breakfast, Eloize walked toward the Separate Annex, enjoying the warm sunlight.
A familiar silhouette appeared at the entrance of the Separate Annex. It was Lucian.
Lucian, who had been carelessly tossing an apple against the outer wall, straightened his posture when he recognized Eloize.
“Good morning, Lucian.”
Lucian’s eyebrow twitched. He didn’t like that Eloize had taken to calling him by his name without permission since yesterday.
“Did you eat breakfast?”
Lucian nodded vaguely. His face looked rough, as if he hadn’t slept well—unlike Eloize, who seemed well-rested. Eloize’s words from last night must have been weighing on him.
Lucian bent forward and whispered near Eloize’s ear.
“I was hoping we could finish the conversation from yesterday.”
Eloize nodded.
“Shall we move somewhere else?”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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